CBS and RealNetworks announce launch of 'Big Brother 24/7' live web feed service

By Reality TV World staff, 07/08/2003

CBS and RealNetworks®, Inc. today announced that for the third year in a row the two companies have joined forces to provide exclusive, 24/7 live video streaming from the "Big Brother 4" house. The webcast coverage premieres Tuesday, July 8, immediately following the premiere of Big Brother 4 (8-9 PM, ET/PT), and will be accessible through the official Big Brother 4 website at cbs.com and through the RealOne™ SuperPass subscription service at real.com.

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Subscribers can watch any one of four live camera feeds from the Big Brother 4 house or catch of all the action at once with the special quad-cam view, which allows fans to see four different video feeds simultaneously. Last year more than 65,000 new subscribers joined the Big Brother 24/7 service, each watching an average of one hour and 40 minutes of live coverage per day. The entire three-month broadcast run of Big Brother 4 on the official CBS Big Brother site is available for a one-time fee of $24.95, or fans may subscribe to RealOne SuperPass for $9.95 per month which will now feature the Big Brother 4 season, as well as exclusive RealOne news, sports and entertainment programming. To preserve the drama for Big Brother 4 television viewers, CBS may block or delay the webcast for a limited number of real-time events that transpire in the house.

"The Big Brother 24/7 provides our loyal online fans with an all-access pass to the houseguest’s fears, tears and cheers as they compete for half a million dollars," said David Katz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Interactive Ventures, CBS. "We look forward to another exciting summer with one of television’s most compelling interactive shows."

"We’re thrilled to work with CBS for the third year in a row to bring live and unedited Big Brother access to an Internet audience," said Erik Flannigan, Vice President of Programming, RealNetworks, Inc. "More than 65,000 dedicated fans experienced this unprecedented extension of the Big Brother Television experience last year, and we look forward to reaching even more fans this season with enhanced interactive programming." CBS/Endemol Entertainment will provide the content from the house, while Real Broadcast Network® (RBN®), RealNetworks’ Content Delivery Network division will deliver the 24/7 live streaming webcast feed.